Grease (1978)

Good girl Sandy and greaser Danny fell in love over the summer. But when they unexpectedly discover they're now in the same high school, will they be able to rekindle their romance?

Director:

Randal Kleiser

Writers:

Jim Jacobs (musical), Warren Casey (musical),

Stars:

John Travolta, Olivia Newton-John, Stockard Channing

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 3 wins & 7 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
John Travolta	...	Danny Zuko
Olivia Newton-John	...	Sandy Olsen
Stockard Channing	...	Betty Rizzo
Jeff Conaway	...	Kenickie
Barry Pearl	...	Doody
Michael Tucci	...	Sonny
Kelly Ward	...	Putzie
Didi Conn	...	Frenchy
Jamie Donnelly	...	Jan
Dinah Manoff	...	Marty Maraschino
Eve Arden	...	Principal McGee
Frankie Avalon	...	The Teen Angel
Joan Blondell	...	Vi
Edd Byrnes	...	Vince Fontaine
Sid Caesar	...	Coach Calhoun

Storyline

A musical about teens in love in the 50's! It's California, 1959 and greaser Danny Zuko and Australian Sandy Olsson are in love. They spend time at the beach, but when they go back to school, what either of them don't know is that they both now attend Rydell High. Danny's the leader of the T-Birds, a group of black-jacket greasers while Sandy hangs with the Pink Ladies, a group of pink-wearing girls led by Rizzo. When they clash at Rydell's first pep rally, Danny isn't the same Danny at the beach. They try to be like each other so they can be together.

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Plot Keywords:

love | school | greaser | beach | high school | 

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Taglines:

The original high school musical is back! (2010 re-release)

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Genres:

Musical | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for sexual content including references, teen smoking and drinking, and language

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

16 June 1978 (USA)

Also Known As:

Grease Sing-A-Long

Filming Locations:

4524 Kingswell Avenue, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$6,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

£707,726 (UK) (3 July 1998)

Gross:

$305,260 (USA) (6 August 2010)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Paramount Pictures, Robert Stigwood Organization (RSO), Allan Carr Production

Technical Specs

Runtime:

110 min

Sound Mix:

DTS (re-release) (1998) Dolby Digital (re-release) (1998) Dolby (35 mm prints) (original release) 70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints) (original release)

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Originated in Chicago at the Kingston Mines Theatre, of which authors Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey were acting ensemble members. It opened on the 5 February 1971, and cast members Marilu Henner, who played Marty, and James Canning, who played Doody, went on to play those roles on Broadway. Others in the cast were Sue Williams (Rizzo), Bruce Hickey (Kenickie), Bill Cervetti (Miller), Sheila Ray Ceaser (Jan), Hedda Lubin (Frenchy), Polly Pen (Patti), Leslie Goto (Sandi), Doug Stevnson (Danny), Gerald Bolnick (Sonny), and Gary Houston (Roger). Guy Barile directed and Ronna Kaye choreographed the production, and Wrick Paul (aka Rick Paul) was set designer. The rock-and-roll band that accompanied the show, led by Michael Williams, was called Sex Nellie, and Love.

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Goofs

During Summer Nights, Rizzo's shades repeatedly jump between her face and her hand between shots.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Sandy: I'm going back to Australia; I might never see you again.
Danny: Don't... don't talk that way, Sandy.
Sandy: But it's true! I've just had the best summer of my life, and now I have to go away. It isn't fair.
[Danny starts kissing her]
Sandy: Danny, don't spoil it!
Danny: It's not spoiling it, Sandy, it's only making it better.
Sandy: Danny... is this the end?
Danny: Of course not; it's only the beginning.

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Crazy Credits

In the sing-a-long re-release, the Paramount logo from the 1970's is shown at the beginning featuring a blue background.

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Connections

Referenced in Conan: Length x Width = Tears (2011)

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Soundtracks

"Hound Dog"
Written by Jerry Leiber & Mike Stoller
Performed by Sha-Na-Na

User Reviews

The best musical off all time.....

Grease has to be the best musical off all the time. The wonderful actors and actress' give there characters all they've got and bring out a wonderful performance all the way through the movie especially John Travolta, Olivia Newton-John, Stockard Channing and Didi Conn. And, who can forget the music. Absolutely amazing. It's no wonder that the Grease soundtrack in the best selling musical soundrack ever. (It sure is brilliant.) Grease really is the word. It's fantastic. 10/10